Nearly half of adults living in England have not bothered to visit an NHS dentist in the past two years due to long waits and high fees, a survey has found

An official survey has revealed that almost half of adults haven’t even bothered to visit an NHS dentist in the past two years, as many were put off by long waits and high fees.

Only 52.4 per cent of patients taking part in the NHS England survey last attempted to make an appointment during that period. But almost one in four of those people (23.7 per cent) were unable to make an appointment.

Meanwhile, more than a quarter (26.8 percent) of those who never visited an NHS dentist said they now go to a private dentist.

Only slightly fewer people (24.7 per cent) thought they would not get an appointment even if they tried. 5.6 per cent said the NHS charge for checks and treatments was too expensive.

The Nuffield Trust think tank, which previously warned that dentistry in the NHS was “done for good” and must be rationed to have any chance of survival, described the latest findings as “deeply worrying”.

Only 52.4 per cent of patients taking part in the NHS England survey last attempted to get an appointment during that period. But almost one in four of those people (23.7 per cent) were unable to get one (stock image)

Meanwhile, more than a quarter (26.8 per cent) of those who did not attempt to visit an NHS dentist said they now go to a private dentist (stock image)

It comes after Wes Streeting met with the British Dental Association earlier this week to discuss possible reforms to the NHS dental contract, which members say is the death knell for the service.

The Health Secretary has pledged to provide 700,000 emergency appointments after hearing how patients have pulled their own teeth, struggling to access care even when they are in pain.

Nearly 700,000 adults completed the GP Patient Survey, commissioned by NHS England, which asked about the level of service provided by GPs, dentists and pharmacists.

The answers to the questions about GPs show that GPs are on the decline and that less than three quarters of patients are satisfied with their practice. Long waiting times and problems in making telephone contact cause dissatisfaction.

Only one in three patients (32.8 percent) now has a regular caregiver that they would like to see in the office. Only 39.7 percent of them say that they can talk to this person ‘always or almost always’ or ‘often’.

This is despite the fact that research has shown that regularly visiting the same GP can improve health outcomes and reduce the pressure on hospitals.

It comes after Wes Streeting met the British Dental Association earlier this week to discuss possible reforms to the NHS dental contact, which members say is killing the service.

Dr Becks Fisher, director of research and policy at the Nuffield Trust, said: ‘The results in dentistry are very worrying, with only around half of people even trying to get an appointment on the NHS in the last two years.

‘Of those who didn’t try it, over 60 percent were put off by price, waiting times, private alternatives or simply the fact that NHS care wasn’t available.

‘Labour’s pot of emergency appointments money will help patients, but it won’t fix the situation where half of adults don’t get the care they should on the NHS.

‘The new government must build on the promising talks with dentists this week to deliver the reform of the contract they promised, a contract that has failed dentists and patients for almost two decades.’

On GPs, Dr Fisher added: ‘It is particularly concerning that, despite the clear evidence that seeing the same healthcare provider improves patient outcomes in the long term, the percentage of people who have a preferred doctor is declining and the percentage who actually see that doctor is now well under half.

‘Now that the new government has promised to ‘bring back the GP’, it must ensure that this becomes possible for more people through guidelines and incentives. Even if that means that fewer other demands are made on GPs.’